Rutgers football's defense clearly has questions to answer but its offense showed signs of growth and promise.

PHOENIX — Rutgers was well on its way to an encouraging end to the 2024 season, a win that would not only finish the campaign on a high note but show plenty of promise for the following fall. But the Scarlet Knights will spend the offseason wondering how they let it slip away — and how they can fix a major issue on one side of the ball.

Rutgers decided to pull a fast one during Thursday night’s Rate Bowl at Chase Field, and it worked to perfection. While looking to run the Philadelphia Eagles’ tush push at the 1-yard line against Kansas State, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis instead handed the ball off to running back Antwan Raymond for the fake.